


What's One More Bad Memory

by Bobbadopolous



Category: Emmerdale, robron
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 03:18:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9800489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bobbadopolous/pseuds/Bobbadopolous
Summary: The morning after the wedding.  I wish it was more upbeat but.....





	

Aaron woke to find himself tangled up in the lanky limbs of his boyfr… no scratch that… husband.  
So pressed together that it would’ve been hard for the casual observer to pick out where one man ended and the next began (not that they were in the habit of allowing casual observers into their bedroom).

Aaron had never in his life felt so whole. If he’d allowed himself to indulge in a cliché he’d have said that he’d found his missing piece in Robert… in fact he’s not entirely sure he hadn’t said that sometime last night when the emotions and booze had finally gotten the better of him. 

Suddenly a wave of soppy platitudes returned to haunt him like the ‘ghost of the night before’ but he couldn’t really bring himself to care about his hardman rep at that moment. Not when he was tangled up in the warm body and heady scent of his husband. Not when it might be his last chance to do so for a long time.

Maybe, Aaron thought to himself, if we just stay right here, like this, they wouldn’t find me.  
Perhaps he and Robert would melt into one another and then there wouldn’t be an Aaron to find and certainly no way to tear them apart.

Misery rushed in to occupy the space contentment had filled just a moment before.

The realisation that this was all he got. He was done. It was over. Just like that all the oxygen disappeared from his lungs and Robert’s bodyweight, that had been his greatest comfort, now threatened to smother him.

“Get off!” Aaron said jerking his body wildly in an attempt to crawl out from under Robert, “Get off me!”

Robert woke up startled by Aaron’s sudden outburst and the fact that Aaron’s elbow was now jabbing him, none-too-gently in the ribs. He rolled off Aaron and stayed what he deemed to be a safe distance away on the other side of the bed.

“Aaron,” he said uncertainly as he watched his husband move off the edge of the bed and sit gasping for air on the floor of their room.

“I’m ok,” Aaron replied between laboured breaths, “just need air.”

“Nightmare?” Robert asked.  
Aaron had been having them a lot again lately. It hadn’t been this bad since during the trial when Aaron would wake up almost every night sweaty and panicked. Of course Robert hadn’t been there to hold him then but he had been every time since. He wouldn’t allow himself to think of the nights he wasn’t going to be able to comfort Aaron.

Robert could barely see a tuft of Aaron’s hair sticking up above the mattress but he could just make out the shake of his head.

“Don’t need nightmares” Aaron said once his breathing had eased a little, “reality is shit enough.”

“Fair point,” Robert said then in an attempt to lighten the mood a little, “though I have to say as your brand new husband of several hours I find that mildly insulting.” 

With Aaron’s back to him Robert couldn’t really tell how his joke had landed but the fact he hadn’t told him to ‘piss off’ yet meant he had reason to be optimistic.

Robert eased himself onto his feet suddenly reminded of the more-than-a-few pints he’d had as well as the I-don’t-remember-how-many glasses of champagne and possibly if his memory could be trusted (which it probably couldn’t) a decent few never-admit-to-it-when-I’m-sober cocktails as well. There was also the vague memory of a welly but he couldn’t be sure, he’d only have done that if he was really, really far gone…which early indicators suggested he had been.

He fought down the feeling of nausea and migraine and made his way, somewhat ungracefully, to the other side of the bed. 

“Agh…Shouldn’t have drunk so much,” Robert said thickly coming to rest next to Aaron with their bare thighs touching. 

Aaron just huffed in agreement.  
They’d tell themselves that it had been a celebration… and a Dingle one at that, bottomless booze came with the territory. But if they were being honest with themselves they’d admit that a good number of those drinks had been an attempt to keep reality at bay and remain suspended in a fairy tale.

Robert reached out a hand and rested it on Aaron’s knee squeezing gently. He wanted so badly for Aaron to look at him but the other man was staring resolutely at the floor, chest still heaving slightly.

“Want to talk about it?” Robert asked gently.

Aaron just shook his head and Robert struggled to think of what he should possibly do or say next.

“I’ll get you some tea,” he said eventually moving to get up off the floor. Tea always seemed to have a calming effect on Aaron in these situations

Aaron’s hand shot out like a flash and tightened around his forearm, “Don’t go,” he said, voice rough but determined.

“Ok,” Robert said settling back onto the ground and looping an arm around Aaron’s shoulders, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“No, but I am,” Aaron said.

“It won’t be for long,” Robert tried to reassure him though he wasn’t that optimistic himself.

“It might be,” Aaron replied, “Are you prepared for that.”

No, Robert thought, how could he ever be prepared for that. Instead he said, “Yeah,” before hastening to add, “but it won’t come to that.”

Aaron looked ready to disagree but seemed to think better of it and the room returned to silence.

“What time is it?” Aaron asked eventually.

“It’s still early,” Robert replied starting to dread how very quickly their remaining time would slip away, “Do you want to try for a few more hours of sleep? It might make you feel better.”

“Don’t think I can,” Aaron replied.

“OK,” Robert said struggling to keep up his positive persona, “I could make us something to eat.”

“Not hungry.”

“Well we could always write the thank you notes,” Robert jested lightly gesturing toward the small pile of wedding presents they’d received the night before.

Aaron couldn’t help but smirk.  
Hastily purchased and ranging from sightly inappropriate to yet-to-be identified, their gifts had been a hilarious mismatch of last-minute, re-gifted and nearly new items. Including a Mr and Mrs mug set from Pearl with the ‘s’ crossed out in permanent marker.  
Aaron knew they’d fight over who got stuck with that one… but that argument would have to wait.

“Yeah bet Cain’s just waiting by the letterbox… thanks so much for the wiper fluid and coolant,” Aaron said sarcastically. 

“It was a good night though yeh?” Robert said rubbing at his temple with his free hand.

“The best,” Aaron agreed softly.

“There’ll be plenty more of them,” Robert reassured him.

“Just not tonight…or tomorrow night,” Aaron muttered.

Robert had no response to that so instead he tried to change the atmosphere “Come on let’s get up off this floor, it’s sending my back crook,” he groaned hoping the mood would be a little lighter up off the ground.

“Old man,” Aaron said so fast it was almost a reflex.

“Your old man now,” Robert countered taking Aaron’s hand and pulling them both to their feet.

Climbing back onto their bed they lay on their sides facing each other, noses almost touching.

“It doesn’t matter how long,” Robert whispered reaching out a hand to stroke Aaron’s stubbled jaw and watching his husbands eyelids flutter sleepily, “This will all be here waiting for you on the other side and everything in between will just be a bad memory.”

“What’s one more bad memory, eh?” Aaron murmured their hands finding each other and their foreheads coming to rest together.


End file.
